Robert Saleh has said this about big contracts: "Money only makes you more of what you already are."
He used that phrase when he was asked about Jeffery Simmons getting a new deal, and he repeated it when the Tennessee Titans announced that they had given Peter Skoronski a market-setting contract.
What does that phrase mean for Skoronski? Despite spending his entire college career at tackle, the Titans moved him to left guard when they spent the 11th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on him. He was underweight for the position, and it didn't help that he had an emergency appendectomy after his first game and missed several weeks after that.
Even when he returned, he didn't have the power he needed, and he wasn't an effective player for most of the season. However, there were glimmers of hope here and there, and he looked more comfortable in his technique by the end of his rookie season. From there, he steadily improved over the years, going from rough to serviceable to good, and now he is one of the best.
Peter Skoronski's Titans contract gives JC Latham a road map
That is no easy feat, but it is a testament to who he is. He learned from his setbacks and didn't let the down moments define him. His career arc and his massive payday should be an inspiration to the entire roster, but it should certainly ring true to right tackle J.C. Latham.
Latham has had an up-and-down start to his career, and after struggling with an injury last year (which was his first NFL season at right tackle), he is at a crucial point in his development. He should look across the locker room and see Skoronski's steady improvement as the blueprint.
The young tackle has all of the physical tools in the world, and he has the time to work on his craft and develop into the right tackle the Titans thought they were getting when they drafted him inside the top 10 a few years ago.
He doesn't have to be a Pro Bowler this season; he just has to take the good parts of his game from 2025 and add some more aggression and physicality without losing his technique.
If he can do that, the refinement will come, but he needs to start taking steps in the right direction, and his path from disappointing first-rounder to franchise cornerstone starts by looking at what Skoronski did to get to where he is now.
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